Thursday, August 20, 2015

#goals

Lately on social media I've seen a growing trend of girls, particularly the younger generation, become increasingly obsessed with "goals". Facebook, Instagram and twitter are full of people posting photos to make their lives look better than they actually are. And people fall for it! I constantly see girls comment on these photos: "Relationship goals!" "Feed goals!" "Body goals!" "Goals goals goals!!" Seriously? When did setting goals for yourself diminish to comparing yourself negatively to another person?

When you set a goal for yourself, your focus should be on YOU. Goals should stretch you to be your best self, not your best impression of someone else. It's so destructive to waste your time wishing you were like someone else. I know because I do it all the time! I've always struggled with self comparison and social media doesn't seem to help with that. On the internet, it may look like people have it all, when in reality we only see what they choose to show.

Believe it or not, but behind all those flawless, white background Instagram photos we gush over with thousands of likes, are real people with real problems. They just choose not to post about them! You can't base a person's life off what they choose to post online and you can't compare your back scenes to their highlight reels! It's not going to get you anywhere.

It's so easy to compare ourselves to other people in this day and age because we're so wrapped up in what everyone else is doing. We're always on our smart phones or tablets checking our feeds. There is so much good on social media but there's also so much competition! If we're constantly wanting to be like other people, we'll forget how awesome we actually are.

Back to goals: I think goals are great! This life is about becoming better and living up to our full potential. However, everyone is different and everyone will reach their goals at different times in their lives. That's okay! So many times I'll look at social media and think: "Man, everyone is married! Why am I not married yet?" "Everyone is having babies!" "Man, they are so successful! What am I doing wrong?" "They are so talented. I don't have any talents." "Why am I not doing that with my life?" I could be one of those girls that comments: "Goals goals goals!!"

But I'm realizing that I am doing my very best in life and that is what matters. I'm not going nowhere just because I'm not where I want to be yet. I don't need to be a copy of someone else, I just have to be my best self.

So for girls young and old, listen up! Be yourself and set your own goals. Don't compare yourself to strangers and acquaintances online. It's okay that you don't have hundreds of Instagram followers. It's okay that you don't have a so called thigh gap. It's okay that you're 24 and not married with babies yet. Your life is still good even though you don't travel around the world with your significant other. Your life is still good because you're living it and you are awesome!!

Don't let the voices of the world get you down. Be yourself and be happy!! And I will try to do the same. :)